Cape York road trip: planning the drive to the Tip

A Cape York road trip is a dry season drive, from about May to October, and it needs a 4WD. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) says to allow at least 10 days for the return trip. The Old Telegraph Track is the challenging way to the Tip of Cape York, and bypass roads let you skip many of its crossings. Fuel is the other limit, because QPWS's map shows gaps of more than 160 km between pumps.

Sources for this section: QPWS, Cape York Peninsula national parks journey guide; NPARC, Climate.

When to go

The Northern Peninsula Area Regional Council (NPARC) runs the Jardine River ferry. It puts the wet season at November to April and the dry season at May to October. QPWS gives a later start. It calls June to October the best time to visit and says the Jardine River and Heathlands parks are usually open from June to November.

Tourism Cape York says the main road is graded each year after the wet and is usually open by May. In some years late monsoon rain keeps the roads shut until June. Most people go from June to August for the cooler weather and school holidays, while September to November is quieter and hotter.

It is early February, so the wet is still on. QPWS says wet season roads become impassable and most parks close from 1 December until June, July or August, depending on conditions. For the Track, our advice is to plan on June at the earliest and to check road conditions on 13 19 40 and QPWS park alerts before you leave.

Sources for this section: NPARC, Climate and Travel and Transport; QPWS, journey guide and Jardine River parks; Tourism Cape York, When to Visit, Journey to the Tip and Road Conditions.

Vehicle and gear

QPWS says you need a 4WD for most of the Cape's unsealed roads. QPWS calls the main road north, the Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR), unsealed past Laura. The roads into the Jardine River and Heathlands parks are for four-wheel-drive vehicles only. The Eliot Falls camp is not accessible for caravans or conventional buses.

Tourism Cape York says heavy-duty camper trailers and high-clearance off-road caravans suit the unsealed roads, but not its Adventure 4WD journeys, which include the Old Telegraph Track.

QPWS says mobile coverage is generally not available on the Cape, though some networks may have service in major towns. It advises carrying a satellite phone or a two-way (UHF or HF) radio. A personal locator beacon is also advisable. See our outback driving tips.

Sources for this section: QPWS, journey guide, Jardine River parks and camping; Tourism Cape York, Self-Drive and Overland Telegraph Line Track.

The Old Telegraph Track and its creek crossings

The Old Telegraph Track follows the line of the Cape's Overland Telegraph, which was finished in 1887. It runs from Bramwell Junction to the Jardine River, and nobody maintains it. QPWS says it suits only experienced four-wheel drivers in a high-clearance 4WD with recovery gear, which means kit for pulling out a stuck vehicle. It calls the northern section even more difficult than the southern and says travel times can be unpredictable.

Tourism Cape York says the track claims many vehicles each year as people try the deep creeks early in the year. It calls Nolan's Brook the deepest and says a snorkel, which lifts the engine's air intake, is highly recommended. Its road page also lists Gunshot Creek bypass tracks.

QPWS says Cape York is crocodile country and to stay out of the water and away from the water's edge. We would not wade a crossing to test it. If you doubt the water, take a bypass.

Those track times add up to at least 10 hours, and the ferry stops at 5 pm, so plan a camp. QPWS says the southern section has informal camping spots near each crossing.

Sources for this section: QPWS, journey guide; Tourism Cape York, Overland Telegraph Line Track and Road Conditions.

Fuel: two long gaps

QPWS says to fill your tank at every chance because driving rough roads in low gear uses more fuel. It says fuel is sold in the major towns and at roadhouses along the PDR, and that the nearest fuel from Eliot Falls is at Bamaga.

On QPWS's map, fuel is marked at Archer River Roadhouse and Bramwell Junction but not between them. That makes the first long gap 165 km, unless Moreton Telegraph Station sells fuel. The map marks no fuel from Bramwell Junction to Bamaga either, which is 214 km on the chart's figures. Our advice is to leave Bramwell Junction with a full tank and spare fuel.

Sources for this section: QPWS, journey guide and Jardine River parks.

The ferry, camping and the Tip

Vehicles cross the Jardine River by ferry. Tourism Cape York says QPWS and the council have closed the old crossing on the track. NPARC lists ferry hours of 8 am to 5 pm. Its price list effective 31 March 2015 charged A$99 return for one vehicle and A$129 return for a vehicle with a trailer or van.

NPARC says the ferry receipt works as a permit for bush campsites only, while maintained campgrounds charge extra. The QPWS camps in the Jardine River and Heathlands parks, including Eliot Falls, must be booked separately before you arrive. QPWS takes bookings up to six months ahead, so book a June trip now. You can book online, on 13 74 68, or at a QPWS self-service kiosk, including Coen, Cooktown and the Heathlands ranger base. There is no mobile coverage at the camps.

After the ferry, QPWS's guide gives 42 km to Bamaga and 32 km more to the car park near the Tip. From there a walking track leads through rainforest to a monument and down to the rock that is the northernmost point of mainland Australia.

Sources for this section: NPARC, Travel and Transport; QPWS, camping and journey guide; Tourism Cape York, Overland Telegraph Line Track.